[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 33 (Friday, February 16, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7009-7010]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-03257]



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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2017-0053]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on 
Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Food

AGENCY: Office of the Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration 
(FDA), are sponsoring a public meeting on April 4, 2018. The objective 
of the public meeting is to provide information and receive public 
comments on agenda items and draft United States (U.S.) positions to be 
discussed at the 24th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission's 
(Codex's) Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF), 
taking place in Chicago, Illinois, April 23-27, 2018. The Deputy Under 
Secretary for Food Safety and the FDA recognize the importance of 
providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background 
information on the 24th Session of the CCRVDF and to address items on 
the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 4, 2018, 
from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place at the USDA, Jamie L. 
Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 107-A, Washington, 
DC 20250.
    Documents related to the 24th Session of the CCRVDF will be 
accessible via the internet at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.org/meetings-reports/en/.
    Brandi Robinson, U.S. Delegate to the 24th Session of the CCRVDF, 
invites U.S. interested parties to submit their comments electronically 
to the following email address: [email protected].

Call-in-Number

    If you wish to participate in the public meeting for the 24th 
Session of the CCRVDF by conference call, please use the following 
call-in-number:
    Call-in-Number: 1-888-844-9904.
    The participant code will be posted on the following web page: 
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/international-affairs/us-codex-alimentarius/public-meetings.

Registration

    Attendees may register to attend the public meeting by emailing 
[email protected] by April 2, 2018. Early registration is 
encouraged as it will expedite entry into the building. The meeting 
will be held in a Federal building. Attendees should bring photo 
identification and plan for adequate time to pass through the security 
screening systems. Persons who are not able to attend the meeting in 
person, but wish to participate, may do so by phone.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE 24TH SESSION OF THE CCRVDF CONTACT: 
Brandi Robinson, International Program Manager, Office of New Animal 
Drug Evaluation, Center for Veterinary Medicine, FDA, 7500 Standish 
Place, HFV-100, Rockville, MD 20855, Telephone: (240) 402-0645, Email: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE PUBLIC MEETING CONTACT: Kenneth 
Lowery, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, South 
Agriculture Building, Room 4861, Washington, DC 20250. Telephone: (202) 
690-4042, Fax: (202) 720-3157, Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Codex was established in 1963 by two United Nations organizations, 
the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization 
(FAO/WHO). Through adoption of food standards, codes of practice, and 
other guidelines developed by its committees, and by promoting their 
adoption and implementation by governments, Codex seeks to protect the 
health of consumers and ensure fair practices in the food trade.
    The CCRVDF is responsible for determining priorities for the 
consideration of residues of veterinary drugs in foods, recommending 
maximum levels of such substances, developing codes of practice as may 
be required, and considering methods of sampling and analysis for the 
determination of veterinary drug residues in foods.
    The Committee is hosted by the United States.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the Agenda for the 24th Session of the 
CCRVDF will be discussed during the public meeting:
     Matters referred by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and 
other subsidiary bodies;
     Matters of interest arising from the FAO/WHO and from the 
85th Meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives 
(JECFA);
     Report of the World Organisation for Animal Health 
activities, including harmonization of technical requirements for 
registration of veterinary medicinal products (VICH);
     Draft Risk Management Recommendation for gentian violet;
     Proposed draft maximum residue limits (MRLs) for 
zilpaterol hydrochloride (cattle fat, kidney, liver, muscle)(81st 
JECFA) at Step 4;
     Proposed draft MRLs for amoxicillin (finfish fillet, 
muscle); ampicillin (finfish fillet, muscle); flumethrin (honey), 
lufenuron (salmon and trout fillet), monepantel (cattle fat, kidney, 
liver, muscle) (85th JECFA) at Step 3;
     Discussion paper on MRLs for groups of fish species;
     Discussion paper on edible offal tissues (possible 
definition and edible offal tissues of interest in international 
trade);
     Discussion paper on the revision of the criteria for the 
use of multi-residue analytical methods for the determination and 
identification of veterinary drugs in foods in Codex;
     Discussion paper on the evaluation of the rationale for 
the decline in new compounds to be included in the CCRVDF Priority List 
for evaluation by JECFA;
     Database on countries' need for MRLs;
     Draft priority list of veterinary drugs requiring 
evaluation or re-evaluation by JECFA; and
     Other business and future work.
    Each issue listed will be fully described in documents distributed, 
or to be distributed, by the Secretariat before the Meeting. Members of 
the public may access or request copies of these documents (see 
ADDRESSES).

Public Meeting

    At the April 4, 2018, public meeting, draft U.S. positions on the 
agenda items will be described and discussed, and attendees will have 
the opportunity to pose questions and offer comments. Written comments 
may be offered at the meeting or sent to the U.S. Delegate for the 24th 
Session of the CCRVDF, Brandi Robinson (see ADDRESSES). Written 
comments should state that they relate to the activities of the 24th 
Session of the CCRVDF.

Additional Public Notification

    Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy 
development is important. Consequently, FSIS will announce this Federal 
Register publication on-line through the FSIS

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web page located at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/federal-register.
    FSIS also will make copies of this publication available through 
the FSIS Constituent Update, which is used to provide information 
regarding FSIS policies, procedures, regulations, Federal Register 
notices, FSIS public meetings, and other types of information that 
could affect or would be of interest to our constituents and 
stakeholders. The Update is available on the FSIS web page. Through the 
web page, FSIS is able to provide information to a much broader, more 
diverse audience. In addition, FSIS offers an email subscription 
service which provides automatic and customized access to selected food 
safety news and information. This service is available at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/subscribe . Options range from recalls to export 
information, regulations, directives, and notices. Customers can add or 
delete subscriptions themselves, and have the option to password 
protect their accounts.

USDA Non-Discrimination Statement

    No agency, officer, or employee of the USDA shall, on the grounds 
of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual 
orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, 
income derived from a public assistance program, or political beliefs, 
exclude from participation in, deny the benefits of, or subject to 
discrimination any person in the United States under any program or 
activity conducted by the USDA.

How To File a Complaint of Discrimination

    To file a complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program 
Discrimination Complaint Form, which may be accessed online at http://www.ocio.usda.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2012/Complain_combined_6_8_12.pdf, or write a letter signed by you or your 
authorized representative.
    Send your completed complaint form or letter to USDA by mail, fax, 
or email: Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of 
Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410, 
Fax: (202) 690-7442, Email: [email protected].
    Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for 
communication (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.), should contact 
USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

    Done at Washington, DC, on February 13, 2018.
Mary Frances Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2018-03257 Filed 2-15-18; 8:45 am]
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